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Dantius Palpatine
Dantius Palpatine, also known as Darth Sidious, was the last Chancellor of the Galactic Republic and the first Emperor of the Galactic Empire. He was a Dark Lord of the Sith who followed the Rule of Two and was the most powerful Sith Lord the galaxy had ever known. Palpatine was able to establish his Empire by concocting a complex master plan, which involved starting the Clone Wars, a galaxy-wide conflict that cost billions of sentient lives, and secretly playing both sides, until he replaced the Republic with the Galactic Empire and nearly exterminated the Jedi. Biography Early Life Dantius Palpatine was born on Naboo in 60 BJP, the eldest son of the House of Palpatine's patriarch Cosinga and his wife. Palpatine was raised in his family's ancestral home, situated in Naboo's Lake Country, and had at least two brothers and two sisters, who shunned him. From an early age Palpatine identified himself as different from his peers and siblings, recognizing a great power within himself, and believing that he was born to lead. Intelligent and highly ambitious, Palpatine desired his family to take on a more active role in Naboo's politics, both to increase their own wealth and power, and also to help their homeworld make the transition into the modern Galaxy. Palpatine was soon disappointed to learn that he was alone in this ambition, and that his father not only lacked the ability to improve his family's standing, but also arrogantly believed he had all the power there was to be gained. Although the young heir longed to kill his father, Palpatine grudgingly concealed his patricidal desires for years. Education Throughout his education Palpatine attended some of the most prestigious and exclusive academies in the Galaxy, but would never remain for long, and would soon be expelled for some petty misdemeanor. Palpatine's list of offenses, while usually minor, was extensive enough that—were he anyone other than a nobleman's heir—he would have been imprisoned in a correctional facility. Sure enough, whatever his son's crime, Cosinga would be there, ready and willing to use his influence and credits to make it "disappear." Having been raised to believe that money could solve anything, Palpatine would quickly dispense with traditional notions of morality, instead forging a unique code of ethics for himself; a pedestal on which he placed himself, to be raised above all others. Although he despised his father, more so than any other member of his family, the two were not without their similarities. Aside from an inherited violent streak, both father and son shared an insatiable passion for speeder racing. Palpatine once fondly recounted an occasion from his youth when his father had bought him a state-of-the-art, prototype speeder, more as a bribe than a gift, but one he accepted, nonetheless. Indeed, the only time Palpatine thought well of the man who raised him was when they shared a cockpit together. This was not to last however, as Palpatine would soon crash the machine, tragically killing two pedestrians in the process. As always, Cosinga bought his son a reprieve, and Palpatine himself never showed the slightest bit of remorse for the incident. Quite the opposite, in fact, if anything, the lack of punishment from the law only served to reinforce the boy's belief in his own invulnerability, and Palpatine insensitively chose this moment to announce his desire to become a professional racer. Cosinga initially banned his son from riding again, but even this feeble attempt at punishment did not last long. After many tantrums Palpatine wore his father down, who eventually relented, and Palpatine went on to race competitively, and successfully. At some point, Palpatine took a vested interest in forbidden Sith lore. Employing his family's vast wealth, the youth took to the black market, resolving to collect as many inscrutable runes and ancient texts as possible. Enraptured by the secrets revealed with each tome, Palpatine at once recognized the key to realizing his true ambition: The acquisition of absolute power. All that remained was opportunity. Sith As an adolescent, Palpatine was enrolled as a student in the Legislative Youth Program in accordance with Naboo's mandatory public service curricula. His family's social status provided him with high profile contacts, such as other aristocrats and even government officials. One such aquaintance was Vidar Kim, who was at the time an aide to the Republic Senator of Naboo. Although Palpatine regarded Kim as a political mentor, he secretly harbored certain views that conflicted with Kim's opinions. Palpatine's own father shared Kim's conservative beliefs and lobbied for Naboo's government to maintain an isolationist policy in order to protect their homeworld from outside corporations that wanted to take advantage of Naboo's plasma resources. Palpatine, motivated by pride and a desire to see his homeworld become a part of the greater galaxy, sought to quietly undermine his father's political agenda. More importantly, however, it was the rift with his father that indirectly led to his future as a Sith. Although Palpatine was well aware of how he could be disinherited as a consequence for treachery, he nonetheless supplied confidential information to Bon Tapalo, a candidate for the Naboo throne that his father opposed. But in aiding Tapalo's campaign, Palpatine brought himself to the attention of Darth Plagueis, the Dark Lord of the Sith who belonged to the line of the ancient Sith Lord Darth Bane. Plagueis, in his public guise as Hego Damask, the Muun Magister of Damask Holdings, first met the teenage Palpatine at the Youth Program's headquarters in Theed, the capital city of Naboo. Though he was aware of Damask's reputation, the haughty Palpatine initially had little interest in conversing with the Muun. Through a small effort of persuasion on Plagueis' part, however, Palpatine reluctantly agreed to give him a tour of Theed. Plagueis was able to learn much about the young aristocrat in their first encounter; Palpatine had an interest in politics, but was shy to admit it; he enjoyed art, yet his modest tastes made him disinterested in Naboo's grandiose architecture style; the estrangement with his father was augmented by their different political opinions. Aside from art and politics, Plagueis also learned that Palpatine had a passion for expensive landspeeders and competitive racing. At the end of the day, Plagueis offered to recruit him as a spy in order to advance the interests of Damask Holdings by ensuring the election of Tapalo as king of Naboo. Palpatine accepted the offer, but only on the condition that he would report directly to Plagueis alone. Cosinga Palpatine eventually learned of his eldest son's friendship with Hego Damask. Due to his estrangement with the younger Palpatine, as well as Damask's support for Tapalo's bid for the throne, Cosinga immediately attempted to thwart any further contact between his son and the head of Damask Holdings. After Cosinga failed to coerce Damask with veiled threats, the Muun contacted Palpatine, who had been away on Chandrilawithhisclassatthetime. Palpatine, enraged by the revelation of his father's attempt to interfere in his affairs, desperately implored Damask for advice. Recognizing the potential that emanated within his young protégé, Damask took advantage of Palpatine's fear and hatred for his family, and thus insinuated that he had to do whatever it took to become emancipated from his father's control. Palpatine's defining moment came when his father personally journeyed to Chandrila with the entire family in tow to acquire his heir. While traveling aboard their personal starship, Cosinga bluntly stated that Palpatine was to have no further contact with Hego Damask. At that point, both father and son revealed their long yet barely concealed hatred for each other. Overcome by years of repressed anger and frustration, Palpatine instinctively drew upon the power of the dark side and slaughtered his abusive father, the rest of the family and their bodyguards. When the deed was done, he contacted Damask and was assured by his mentor that none would ever learn of his role in the slaughter of the House of Palpatine. Apprenticeship Having judged the young Palpatine worthy of joining the Sith, Darth Plagueis formally initiated him into the cult. In Palpatine, Plagueis saw an "insidious" nature within him, mixed with ambition, pride and a lust for power. Hence, the Dark Lord of the Sith anointed his new apprentice as Darth Sidious. The training of Darth Sidious was focused on the honing of his Force abilities and combat skills, as well as his natural talents as a politician. In the first decade of his role as an apprentice, Sidious accompanied his Master to Mygeeto where he nearly froze to death. Darth Plagueis, unaffected by the planet's freezing temperature, used this lesson to strengthen his disciple's hate, anger and desperation for survival. Other trials included the deprivation of food, water and even sleep. During the course of Sidious's training, Darth Plagueis once allowed him access to a number of Sith holocrons, items that, according to the arcane writing inscribed on their pyramidal surfaces, were recorded in the days of Darth Bane. The Jedi mistakenly believed that these holocrons sat in the Archives room in their Temple, but those were actually clever forgeries, a form of Sith disinformation. How the actual and false holocrons came to their respective owners is still not known. The Murder of Darth Plagueis Plagueis was obsessed with immortality. He delved into forbidden teachings, and possessed—or sought to possess—knowledge that could sustain those who were dying, or even return them from death. Both the Jedi and the Sith had sought ways to survive death for thousands of years, without success. The most powerful of the ancient Sith Lords, particularly Darth Sion and Darth Andeddu, supposedly knew such secrets, but they had been lost or misplaced. Sidious later suspected that Plagueis's intention was to find a new apprentice to replace him. His position threatened, Sidious decided that he had learned all he could from Plagueis, as he had already recruited his own secret apprentice in the form of Darth Maul. Soon after, Sidious killed Plagueis in his sleep and took the title of Sith Master for himself. To make certain the same thing would never happen to him, he kept a close eye on his own apprentices, and told them only the barest minimum of information about Plagueis. For much of his life, he would be on his guard, vowing to himself never to make the mistake of recklessly sleeping as Plagueis had. The training of Darth Maul Shortly before he had murdered Plagueis, Palpatine had recruited a young Zabrak from his family on Dathomir, and had begun training him as a Sith. It was not without precedent that Sidious should have chosen a Zabrak for his apprentice. In ancient times, the Sith, taking notice of the martial prowess of the Zabrak, made lucrative contacts on Iridonia, and spent exorbitant sums to hire Iridonian Zabrak as mercenaries. Long after the Sith culture died out, the influence of the Sith remained a part of Zabrak culture. Zabraks were known to endure extreme amounts of pain, but nothing could have prepared young Maul for the brutality of Palpatine's training. Despite Palpatine's harshness, Maul held the utmost respect for the man, and for most of his life, was fanatically loyal. A visit to the Jedi Temple When Darth Maul was very young, so young that he would remember few memories prior to this, Darth Sidious took him to the Jedi Temple, both of them disguised as tourists. Sidious's command of the dark side was sufficient to keep both himself and Maul from being sensed by the Jedi, as long as they did not enter the Temple itself. As the building was not open to tourists in any event, there was very little risk of discovery. For the better part of a day, they stood there, and Sidious pointed out to Maul the various faces of individual Jedi as they entered and left the Temple, whispering into his apprentice's ear of the Jedi Order's ultimate destruction. Maul would long remember the thrill of seeing his foes, standing in their presence, hearing about their downfall, as they walked past, not one of them aware of the fate that ultimately awaited them. Eventually, the time came for Maul's final test. Palpatine sent him out to the remote and isolated world, Rattatak, where he was hunted by assassin droids for a month. At the end of the month, Maul found Palpatine waiting at the mouth of a cave. Maul had not eaten for days, and was exhausted. Regardless, Palpatine challenged Maul to a duel, in which Maul was easily defeated. Palpatine stood over the broken man, and told him that he had been preparing another apprentice, should Maul fail as he had. Enraged, Maul flew at Palpatine with murderous intent. Palpatine was caught off guard, but was able to disarm Maul. Even without a weapon, Maul continued to attack, even going so far as to bite Sidious's hand before being ultimately defeated. Pleased, Sidious announced that Maul's training was complete, and that he was now a Sith Lord. The beginning of Palpatine's political career Palpatine began his political career at a young age, carefully hiding his true persona of Darth Sidious. On Naboo, public service was mandatory from the ages of thirteen to twenty-five, and he began his political career in this fashion (40 BJP). Unlike most of the Naboo, however, he elected to stay in politics beyond the normally accepted age, working his way upward. He lost more elections than he won, missing out on a string of political appointments. It was also around this time that he became romantically involved with a political staffer of his, Liana, and the two later married. The marriage quickly became troublesome, however, as she was unable to bear children, and Palpatine often angrily lashed out at his wife over this. He did not divorce her, though, as he saw the potential political repercussions from the public if he did so. When Senator Vidar Kim, Naboo's representative in the Galactic Senate, was assassinated by a never-identified gunman on a passing airspeeder (30 BJP), the thirty-year-old Palpatine stood for election to succeed him. The people of Naboo elected him as their sectorial Senator, to represent Naboo and the thirty-five other affiliated worlds of the Chommell Sector. It is not known if Palpatine, or any of his allies had anything to do with the murder, but whoever ordered it, only Palpatine stood to gain from it. The Sistros statue When Palpatine first came to Coruscant to begin his service in the Senate, a number of his personal effects came with him from Naboo, accompanied by a manifest. The manifest was submitted to Republic officials as part of a standard security scan. This procedure was mandatory for all equipment and furniture to enter the Senate building. One of these items was an abstract sculpture of Sistros, one of the Four Sages of Dwartii (these were controversial philosopher-lawgivers who lived during the early days of the Republic—the others were Faya, Yanjon, and Braata). Palpatine's manifest clearly stated that this sculpture was a single piece of solid-forged neuranium with a bronzium finish. But the sculpture was not solid; it contained a small cylindrical cavity, in which rested one of his Sith lightsabers, sealed within the sculpture at the time of its forging. The security scan did not detect this cavity; neuranium was so dense that any piece more than a millimeter in thickness was impervious to sensors, and since nothing unusual was found in the scan, no one questioned it further. An advanced gravimetric detector would have revealed that one small section of the sculpture massed slightly less than it should have, but no one thought to use one at the time. The sculpture was admitted and placed in Palpatine's Senate offices (the floor had to be specially reinforced to bear its weight), and when Palpatine was elected Chancellor it was moved into the anteroom of his Suite in the Executive Office Building. Only after thirty-three years would Palpatine extract the blade within. Palpatine in the Senate By the time Palpatine stepped onto the Senate floor for the first time, he already knew that the prominent power-brokers in the Senate looked down their noses at the more provincial delegates, expecting little to nothing of importance from them. He knew that he, too, was lumped in with the other hopefuls from Rimward worlds, those who, having never ventured far from their homeworlds before, would in short order be overwhelmed by Coruscanti politics. Rather than do anything to prove the elites wrong, Palpatine encouraged them to keep thinking this way. Again, he failed to take advantage of opportunities that could have landed him on important advisory boards and powerful committees, and unless pressed, he never shared his observations with his colleagues; apparently he purposely sought to keep his advancement slow, knowing that the more he did so, the more harmless he seemed to potential rivals. The performance evidently worked; the powerful Senators, wrapped up in their own petty power struggles, simply laughed at the small and quiet provincial, and otherwise paid him no mind. Palpatine surprised everyone as he became increasingly popular. He wrote extensively, his notes on power becoming popular texts among political and military science students, his theories even taught at leading universities throughout the galaxy. Despite this growing influence, Palpatine remained unassuming, and would spend many hours reflecting in his modest, yet well-appointed quarters. Around this time, in 25 BJP, Palpatine met a human female named Roganda Ismaren. Ismaren was a political insider, but also at one time a Jedi Padawan who had been kicked out of the Jedi Order for dabbling in the Dark Side. Seeing a great deal of potential in her abilities, the two soon became allies. Ismaren not only became a close adviser of Palpatine's, but also his courtesan and three years later she gave birth to his son, Galen. After his birth, Palpatine sensed his son's strength in the Force, and was determined to indoctrinate Galen into the ways of the Sith. Having finally found the apprentice he was searching for, Palpatine kept the boy's existence a deeply guarded secret for years to come, especially from his current apprentice, Darth Maul. To that end, Palpatine broke with the Rule of Two, the ancient Sith tradition created by Darth Bane that permitted only two Sith-trained individuals at a time, by training Starkiller as his Sith apprentice. Because of Palpatine's very busy schedule, he was unable to personally raise and train his son much of the time. He instead had his son be raised primarily by the boy's mother in secrecy on ? for nearly all of his young life, where Palpatine would be able to sporadically visit and train him during his son's childhood, and eventually gave his son the codename, Darth Starkiller. For roughly two decades, Palpatine and Ismaren consolidated a virtually unbreakable psychological hold over Galen, controlling him first through fear, and then teaching him to embrace his anger and hatred in order to grow in strength through the Dark side of the Force. Friends and allies Senator Palpatine began establishing relationships with respected public figures in key positions of government. As it grew, the list of friends included Senators both weak and powerful, military officers, members of the great organs of commerce, and even members of the Jedi Order. Many of those with whom he formed friendships would eventually have prominent positions in the Empire. Others would meet radically different fates. Palpatine served as part of a Republic task force sent to monitor the demilitarization of Ando, where the two native species had resumed a long-standing feud over mining rights. It was here that he met Jorus C'baoth, a Jedi who was also a member of the expedition. Palpatine took advantage of the encounter to establish what would become a long-standing friendship with C'baoth. Upon returning to Coruscant, they often met to discuss politics, philosophy, and the state of the Republic. Eventually, at Palpatine's request, the Jedi Reassignment Council sent C'baoth to act as his personal advisor, and C'baoth became part of his staff. One thing they discussed during their time together held promise for the future: they spoke of the ExGal Society, a small, dedicated group of scientists studying the possibilities of life outside the galaxy, and the idea of an excursion beyond the Galactic Rim. Janus Greejatus, then a politician on Chommell Minor, had established himself as an isolationist—in fact his political language concealed a virulent anti-alien prejudice that stemmed from his earliest formative years—with a significant popular following on his homeworld. Through circumstances not known, Greejatus came to the attention of Senator Palpatine. Palpatine did not echo Greejatus's more divisive statements, understanding that they would only do harm to his own long-term plans, but he did see a use for Greejatus and took him under his wing. Commander Terrinald Screed, then a young officer in the Republic Judicial Department, was contacted by Palpatine, and found that his own ideas easily meshed with those of the Senator. With the coming of the New Order, Screed, now an Admiral, would become one of the highest-placed officers in the new Imperial Navy. Lord Cutler Beckett, a young member of the East India Trading Company befriended Palpatine and shortly thereafter rose through the ranks, eventually becoming the head of the EITC. He would later go on to be a loyal servant to the Galactic Empireandleadawaragainst pirates and dissenters of any kind. Lieutenant Governor Wilhuff Tarkin, a government official on Eriadu who was descended from a ruthless and ambitious family, was contacted by Darth Sidious, who convinced Tarkin that they actually shared many of the same sentiments on government. Tarkin was aware that Palpatine and Sidious were the same person, and he served both faithfully and long. Even as the New Order was inaugurated, Tarkin was placed in charge of the construction of Palpatine's most secret weapons projects. Lord Crueya Vandron, the head of a noble house in the Senex sector, secretly joined Palpatine's camp. After the Empire was inaugurated, Vandron would become an advisor and the head of COMPNOR. Aides Senator Palpatine also brought his own loyal aides with him from Naboo and elsewhere. They served him in legitimate political and legal roles, but they also worked his will in darker and more secretive ways. It would be these functionaries who earned the greatest rewards (with the exception of Palpatine's Sith accomplices) that could be bestowed in the New Order. Palpatine had maintained Sate Pestage as an aide ever since he had been but a minor functionary on Naboo. Pestage performed the day-to-day duties of a senatorial aide, but he also was fully aware of Palpatine's secret identity of Darth Sidious and willingly served Sidious as a covert operative. Under the New Order, Pestage was made Grand Vizier and given the power to control all access to the Emperor. Palpatine treated Pestage's colleague, Kinman Doriana, in a similar fashion. Doriana had a kind of unspoken wish to be a spy, and Sidious indulged this by assigning him to perform covert work, but unlike Pestage, Doriana was not informed of the secret connection between Sidious and Palpatine. As far as Doriana was aware, they were separate people, and he performed tasks for both without realizing the truth. The ruthless Ars Dangor was also an aide to Senator Palpatine at this time, though information about his activities is far more scarce. Dangor was eventually given a prime place among the Imperial Advisors, and Palpatine consulted with him on galactic-security issues, especially those dealing with the Rebellion. He ran much of the day-to-day affairs of the Empire, and as Dangor, like his master, was a powerful and charismatic public speaker, he was also responsible for all public addresses. The fall of Chancellor Valorum The long-anticipated special session of the Senate, the last under the Valorum government had only two items on its agenda: a hearing of the Naboo delegation's case, and a debate on the Trade Federation's continued opposition to BR-0371. Few expected it to be anything other than routine. Palpatine alone knew what was coming. He knew that the Federation's representative, Lott Dod, would stall the proceedings with every procedural tool at his command. He also knew that the vice chair, Mas Amedda, would keep Valorum shackled by procedure no matter what. And he knew that, in the face of an attempt to stall, Amidala would have no choice but to act as he had suggested. During the session, Dod and his allies threw up objection after objection, and Amidala, unable to even finish her plea, grew more and more frustrated. Finally, Dod moved that a Senate committee be created to determine if her "accusations" were valid - a proposition that was further supported by Senator Aks Moe of Malastare. Amedda then pulled Valorum aside, subtly forcing him to concede that Dod was within his rights. When Valorum then asked Amidala to defer her motion to allow the committee to do its work, it was the last straw. She saw with her own eyes that Palpatine was right, Valorum was ineffective, and she had nowhere left to go. Palpatine hid his satisfaction as, next to him, Amidala delivered the words that sealed Finis Valorum's fate. Valorum was thunderstruck, but by the time he could recover, events had moved past him. Senator Edcel Bar Gane of Roona seconded Amidala's motion, and the vote was on the floor, before long, hundreds of Senators were demanding the vote take place. The Senate had waited for this for months, perhaps years, and so unpopular was Valorum that they descended upon him with no mercy, demanding a vote. It was all the Chancellor could do to postpone the vote until the following day. Palpatine already knew it would be a vote the Valorum government would not survive. It now remained only for him to ensure that he would be the one filling Valorum's shoes. The scramble for the Chancellorship The sudden power vacuum left a choice for the two major factions in the Senate. The loyal Senators saw the danger of an unstable government and sought to elect a strong leader to truly clean up the corruption in the Senate. The corrupt Senators wanted stability too, if only so they could continue plundering the system, and sought a figurehead who would provide the appearance of stability and just look the other way while they fattened themselves. Bail Antilles, representative of Alderaan, was the choice of the loyal Senators, while Ainlee Teem, representative of Malastare, was the choice of the corrupt Senators. These two nominations came as no surprise as both had been campaigning for months, even before the corruption scandal. Much of the back-room politicking that led to Palpatine's nomination has been lost to history. What is known is that he had been working for months to catch the attention of an influential clique in the Senate, led by Senator Orn Free Taa of Ryloth. Taa was not satisfied with Teem or Antilles. As early as the breaking of the corruption scandal, Palpatine had caught Taa's eye as a potential compromise candidate. From Taa's point of view, it made sense: Palpatine had few enemies in the Senate, and many friends, ensuring that all factions could work well with him. Thus, it can be assumed either Taa or one of those Senators in his circle nominated Palpatine. Palpatine returned to 500 Republica certain that the tide was with him. He declared to Amidala that he would become the next Chancellor, and meant it. In fact, he had already made certain of it. Even in the midst of all his preparations for the Naboo crisis, Sidious had availed himself of his connection to the Thyrsian Sun Guard. Before Valorum's recall ever came to a vote, Sidious had made use of these Sith mercenaries to assassinate a discreet, though pivotal, number of Senators whose votes could have endangered his scheme. Exactly which Senators were killed is not known, but they would have been the ones most likely to tip the balance of votes decisively in favor of his competition. The election of Palpatine When the Senate convened the following day to vote on the no confidence motion, the outcome was a foregone conclusion. Valorum had few friends left, and the Senate so wanted him gone that they did not hesitate. Finis Valorum was swiftly voted out in a humiliating defeat. His political career in ruins, he spent years in seclusion, waiting for the public's distaste for him to wear off. When he finally realized just what role his removal had played in Palpatine's grander scheme, Valorum made one last small but brave attempt to hold back the avalanche, but by then it would be too little, too late. Future generations, however, would look more kindly on him. In his absence, the Senate voted for a successor. Neither Antilles nor Teem could garner enough votes to achieve an effective majority, in part because of the recent murder of certain delegates that removed some decisive votes from the equation. But the ultimate deciding factor, as Palpatine intended, was the groundswell of sympathy for the representative of besieged Naboo. Palpatine could rightfully claim that Valorum had promised to do all he could for Naboo in a time of crisis, and failed. Perhaps it was proper, many believed, that Palpatine himself should be given the chance to make things right. With such political weight behind him, Palpatine received the most votes by far, becoming Chancellor, the last being ever to hold the title, by an overwhelming margin. He promised to reunite the disaffected among the people and restore the remembered glories of the Republic. Destabilization and The Naboo crisis In 9 BJP, Palpatine's shadow ally, Lieutenant Governor Wilhuff Tarkin, helped Sidious to engineer the murder of the Trade Federation Directorate, which were on Tarkin's homeworld of Eriadu for a trade summit. The pirate raids on the Trade Federation that had led to the summit had also been orchestrated by Palpatine, as was Nute Gunray's rise to power as Viceroy. Shortly afterward, Palpatine secretly funneled several million credits, believed to have been stolen by the Nebula Front, through the Bank of Aargau, and into the accounts of House Valorum. Palpatine's aide, Sate Pestage, ensured that the exchange was uncovered by Valorum's political enemy, Senator Orn Free Taa, who revealed it to the Internal Activities Committee, thus critically weakening Chancellor Finis Valorum's already tenuous hold on power. In 6 BJP, the Neimoidian leaders of the Trade Federation decided to blockade the planet Naboo, to serve as an example to others in the growing Separatist movement as well as in protest of Senate resolution BR-0371, a measure that levied a tax on the major Rim trade routes. As Sidious, Palpatine aided the Trade Federation in their blockade, but kept his true identity unknown to the Neimoidians, although he revealed that he was a Sith Lord and made it quite clear that he held some power in the Senate. The Republic under Palpatine (10–5 BJP) The new Chancellor kept himself busy during the four years of his tenure. Much of this work was an intrigue that would eventually cause catastrophic bloodshed, the Clone Wars. But he had other projects, smaller but effective, that further undermined the Jedi and the Republic they served. Many were designed to whittle away the Jedi ranks, a few at a time, to make his task easier when the time came to purge them entirely. And as he carried out these murderous intrigues, always he cloaked himself in the image of a responsible leader. The blockade of Naboo The Trade Federation rapidly built up its forces in the Naboo system, assembling enough battleships to ensure a tight blockade. At Sidious's command, they closed the planet off and strangled its formerly thriving trade business. No supply ships could land or take off. Then the Federation secured the outer gate to the system by stationing a battleship at Station TFP-9, its own outpost at the outer edge of the system, to ward off the curious and advertise the act to all who would listen. The last free entrance was closed off, and all incoming ships were informed that the Federation was acting in protest of the illegal taxes that the Republic had levied against them. The blockade of Naboo was an accomplished fact. For the next month, the Senate debated fiercely, but did nothing to help the Naboo. The Federation's representative, Lott Dod, successfully argued that they had not yet violated any Republic laws; they had attacked no ships, nor had they moved against Naboo itself. And if no outright crime had been committed, the Judicial Department could not act. The stalling further weakened the Valorum government; their defiance of his measures was in itself damaging, but the longer it went on, the more impotent Valorum appeared. Partly to allow this perception to widen, Palpatine kept his monarch, Queen Amidala, from disrupting his plans, urging her to be patient and wait until the Senate reached a decision. Amidala proved harder to rein in than expected: her patience spent, she contacted Valorum and told him that she held him personally responsible for her world's suffering. Shocked, pushed into a corner by his own conscience, and desperate to shore up his crumbling support, Valorum decided to act. He would call for a special session of the Senate to discuss the blockade, but to give him a strong bargaining position, he needed the battleships sent away from Naboo. He decided to send the Jedi to Naboo as ambassadors, hoping they would shake the Neimoidians' confidence and show them he meant business. The invasion of Naboo Palpatine may not have known Valorum's full plans, since the Chancellor went directly to the Jedi Council without informing the Senate as the law required. Eventually he learned about the ambassadors, but not that those ambassadors were Jedi. The presence of a Jedi Master, Qui-Gon Jinn, and his Padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi, took him by surprise. When the panicked Neimoidians told him, he fought hard both to manage his own anger and to get the Neimoidians under control, to focus them on the next task. The Jedi had been brought into the picture sooner than he would have liked, and Sidious ordered the Neimoidians to begin landing their troops. He also told them that he'd make their invasion legal when Gunray questioned the legality of it. As for the Jedi, he had plans for them also, and he ordered them to be killed. The Neimoidians acted accordingly, destroying the cruiser that had delivered the Jedi and immediately jamming all communications. Then, the conference room the Jedi were in was flooded with dioxis. The Jedi however, survived. He also was in communications with Queen Amadala regarding the seeming delay in the negotiations with Valorum, but was promptly cut off when the Trade Federation jammed their communication lines during the preparations for their invasion. Unknown to Amadala, this was according to Palpatine's plan. The invasion went splendidly. Within a day, most of the major cities, including the capital, were in Federation hands. Amidala was captured with her entire retinue, and the Neimoidians presented her with a treaty that would bring an air of legitimacy to the invasion. But she never signed it. Instead, the Jedi, far from being dead, had escaped, rescued Amidala and her retinue, and commandeered a ship bound for Coruscant, successfully evading dozens of heavily-armed battleships in the escape. Sidious was livid, or seemed so. He took the opportunity to introduce them to Darth Maul. But despite the anger Sidious showed to his Neimoidian agents, Amidala's escape did not inconvenience him. Had he been anyone other than the Senator from Naboo, his plans would have been greatly harmed. But it was the very fact of his public identity that ensured that, come what may, he would have little trouble in finding her, no matter where she fled. He had an inside source: Amidala herself. The search for Amidala After Amidala's ship was damaged in the escape, Jinn recommended that they land on Tatooine, an obscure desert world in the Arkanis sector, to repair the ship before going on. Amidala agreed, and they made for Tatooine, bringing this backwater planet into the spotlight for the first time. She signaled Palpatine, informing him that the ship had been damaged, was waylaid (she did not say where, in case the Federation was monitoring her communications) and that they would arrive after making repairs. Palpatine could now trace the signal to find out exactly where she landed. He handed the signal data over to Maul, giving him what he needed to find his prey. In a very short time they had narrowed the search to Tatooine. The Neimoidians too tried to track Amidala, crafting a desperate-sounding message from Sio Bibble to be sent to her ship. They failed to get anything of use, but, desperate to stay in Sidious's good graces, they reported their scant findings. Maul knew the arid world had a small population, so it would not take long to find them. Sidious told him to move against the Jedi first and then take the queen. Maul left for Tatooine, but he failed to kill the Jedi or retrieve Amidala. Soon after, Palpatine was surprised to find the queen arriving on Coruscant, determined to rouse the Senate to her cause. One of Sidious's more trusted non-Sith agents, Kinman Doriana, who was present for these events, indicated, or at least believed, that the original plan was to use the occupation of Naboo, which they expected to last for months or even years, to create turmoil and paralysis in the Senate, which Sidious and his agents could have used to devastating effect. The eventual goal, to lever Palpatine into the position of Chancellor, would likely have been achieved nonetheless, but more gradually. But Sidious was as capable at improvisation as he was at careful planning. He saw a new plan, one that would work far better than the first one. The senator commands the monarch Palpatine requested an audience with Queen Amidala in his apartments at 500 Republica to go over strategy. He had spent the last six months cultivating the queen's trust, knowing she would heed him better than Ars Veruna would have. It was all for this moment, when, in a crisis, she had to rely on him. She came believing the Senate would help her, but Palpatine slammed the door in her face by announcing, with mock disgust, that the Senate was long past caring about the common good. Worse, the corruption scandal had weakened Chancellor Finis Valorum more than she had thought. Both the Senate and Valorum were closed off to her as options. That left her with nothing but the options Palpatine offered. He gave her two: she could move for a Vote of No Confidence in Chancellor Valorum, and push for the election of a more effective leader, or she could take the matter to the courts. In offering her this choice, Palpatine risked nothing. Amidala had pinned her hopes on a quick resolution of the crisis. The longer Naboo starved under Federation occupation, the more of her people would die. If there was to be a solution, it had to be now. And the courts took even longer to decide things than the Senate. He had given her an option he knew she would never choose, could never choose. So Amidala had to decide between working in the courts, while the death toll on Naboo rose to unimaginable numbers, or heeding her trusted Senator's advice. More specifically, she had to choose between Valorum or her homeworld. As expected, she chose Naboo. Only fourteen and still new to the throne, she had all the qualities of the great leader she would eventually become, but little experience. If Palpatine, who knew the Senate in ways she did not, said that Valorum had become an obstacle, that was enough for her. The liberation of Naboo Even before Palpatine's election, Amidala declared her intention to reclaim Naboo from the Trade Federation. He made a show of concern and tried halfheartedly to keep her from going. She left anyway, taking both Jinn and Kenobi with her for protection. Thus she had taken all his enemies along with her into what could only be a considered a death trap. He and Darth Maul contacted the Neimoidians on Naboo, instructing them to kill Amidala, and notified them that Maul would be joining them to deal with the Jedi personally. Then he sent his apprentice off, with orders to make certain the Neimoidians killed the Queen, and that the Jedi fell by his own hand. Even while Sidious managed the election on Coruscant, he made time to go over the progress reports from Naboo that Maul was frequently sending to him. As they came in, Amidala's behavior seemed more and more baffling, not only did she manage to escape Gunray's reach, but she had forged an alliance with the Gungans and assembled an army in the Lianorm Swamp, possibly in preparation for a strike against the Federation occupation force. If true, she was acting far more aggressively than her tactical position suggested. He doubted that she would last even five minutes in such a contest. He gave his approval to Gunray's plan to meet the Gungans head-on. In truth, the outcome of what would be called the Battle of Grassy Plains mattered little to him. He had only sent Maul to Naboo, and ordered Gunray to destroy the Gungan army, to keep up the facade that he had an interest in Naboo, to keep the Neimoidians from seeing his true motives. Regardless of who won the battle, Palpatine would benefit: if Amidala and her defenders fell, she would become a martyr he could use to justify further and more decisive action against the Trade Federation, and if they succeeded, he could use her victory as a symbol of the new take-charge attitude the Republic would be showing under his guidance. Either way, he would be seen as a decisive leader, and validate his election. The aftermath Palpatine was soon informed that Amidala had triumphed. Against all odds, she had retaken her throne, and taken Gunray and Haako into custody. Of all the possibilities, he had not expected this one to come to pass, but in the end it did not matter. The occupation had already served its purpose. And his state visit to Naboo after the battle tied himself firmly with that victory. However, this would seem to be a loss for his secret goals. Whether this truly was is unknown. Palpatine himself was somewhat displeased with the outcome. "Defeated by a young boy, a naive girl and a Jedi Apprentice. It was not a good day." He also indicated that Maul was but a tool whose goal was to rattle the Jedi's long-complacent attitude regarding the Sith, although he had considered using Maul to pick off individual Jedi and act as a major distraction to the Order He did express some regret at the loss of a valuable tool, but that was all, for his son was being trained in the dark side to become his eventual apprentice. In the end, he had gained far more than he had lost. He had also learned the role that Anakin Skywalker, a fourteen year old boy from Tatooine, had played in the liberation. He had piloted a fighter straight into the Federation control ship and destroyed it. He had caught the eye of the Jedi Council itself, suspicion was growing that he might even be the Chosen One of ancient Jedi prophecy, and after much debate the Masters decided he would be apprenticed to Kenobi. He made a promise to Anakin in the celebration, telling him his career would be watched with "great interest." He would keep this promise. Returning to Coruscant after the victory celebrations, he must surely have had much to celebrate himself. True, the Jedi now knew of the Sith's return and their involvement in the crisis. The Jedi were now afraid, and that gladdened him. The greatest prize had been won. The Republic that the Jedi sought to defend was already in Sith hands. Personality and Traits Through his own nature, Dantius Palpatine was evil incarnate, believing himself to be the embodiment of darkness and the living incarnation of the dark side of the Force. From very young, his only goal was nothing less than the acquisition of absolute power. Yet he was also patient, vastly intelligent, and an incredible actor able to keep up the facade of a good and honest politician for a prodigious number of years. As both Senator of Naboo and Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic, he appeared as an unassuming, tea-drinking old man, almost grandfatherly, with elegant robes. With his cheery demeanor, trademark smile, and a reputation for being a kind and modest man from Naboo, he won the hearts of billions during the Clone Wars, promising to bring justice to a government mired in corruption and chaos, thus hiding his true motives behind the perfect disguise in order to gain acceptance for his new Empire. His acts as a loving politician and later a helpless victim served only to bolster his true persona, that of Sidious. Darth Sidious was a manipulative and seductive megalomaniac, easily bending others to his will in his quest for Sith supremacy and ultimate power. A narcissist, Sidious identified his own essence with the very blackness of space, even going so far as to declare himself the ultimate personification of the dark side. Sidious also displayed traits of psychopathy, including extreme sadism and cruelty, taking considerable pleasure in the suffering and deaths of others. In fact, he was known to cultivate life-forms for the sole purpose of eventually killing them. His inherent sadism also had its roots with his father, Cosinga Palpatine, who was known to have an interest in violence, one of the few things he had in common with him. Even as a child, Palpatine was demonstrated to be manipulative, sociopathic, and self-centered. This is especially evident by his frequent breaking of various rules and social norms, knowing full well that his father, whom he hated, would simply pay off the authorities to make the problem disappear, and his declaration upon causing an accident that killed two pedestrians while using a speeder that he'd like to become a professional racer. Although possessed of an insatiable hunger for power, he honestly believed a Sith government would be best for the galaxy, and in time came to regard himself as something of a savior. He also viewed all sentient beings bereft of the Force as inferiors, likening them to children floundering about aimlessly, ignorant of their own shortcomings and incapable of fulfilling their aspirations. Sidious considered the wise and powerful —specifically Force-sensitives—as responsible for providing guidance for such lesser entities in order to allow for a thriving civilization. Seeing no one wiser nor more powerful than himself, Palpatine deemed only himself as worthy of realizing this philosophy, and thus endeavored to control the galaxy forever. Palpatine was a prolific author; his notes on political and military sciences became popular texts, and his theories on these subjects were taught at universities throughout the galaxy. In fact, Palpatine began devoting some effort towards writing a series of books about Sith lore and histories; the Dark Side Compendium. Palpatine was a known patron of the arts, attending the opera whenever able and surrounding himself with unique statuary and decorative antiques. Many of these statues served as convenient hiding places to stash Sidious' various Sith artifacts and lightsabers. Despite his exceptional skills in lightsaber combat and his mastery of the dark side, Palpatine was no less susceptible to fear, one of the primary emotions of the dark side, than any other Sith. Contrary to Darth Bane's strict belief that the Apprentice must prove his worthiness by striking down the Master in open combat, Palpatine chose to murder his Master, Darth Plagueis in his sleep, rather than confront him directly. In an effort to gain Anakin Skywalker's sympathy, Palpatine appeared to cower before Windu, which may have been out of both practicality and desperation due to such a calculated risk. After his ascension as Emperor, Palpatine displayed visible fear after being attacked by a powerful Force push from Yoda. He attempted to flee rather than fight, and only confronted Yoda when he appeared to have no other choice in the matter. During the battle over Coruscant, General Grievous considered Palpatine a coward when deducing that the Chancellor was hiding under the consoles while Grievous's battle droids fought Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi on the Invisible Hand. Since Palpatine was in no position to reveal his Sith identity until the right time, he was forced to refrain from using his Force powers to protect himself while in an extremely dangerous situation that presented considerable risk to his life. Before his death, Mace Windu sensed Palpatine's fear and believed that it was the cause of the Sith Lord's defeat. Luke Skywalker also detected the same traces of fear that resided with Palpatine.. Romantic Interests Liana It is unknown whether or not Palpatine truly loved his wife. It is possible that when the two first got together there was love, however, that was quickly shattered when she learned that she was unable to have children, thus not being able to give Dantius a potential heir. After learning that fact, the two had a loveless marriage from that point forward, only using her for political reasons and cheating on her often. Nonetheless, he was still married to Liana for over fifteen years until her sudden death in a ship crash, which he used to gain sympathy from voters and ultimately lead to Palpatine's rise to power. Ysanne Isard Roganda Ismaren Sly Moore Powers and Abilities Trained to perfection by Darth Plagueis, Darth Sidious was one of the most powerful Dark Lord of the Sith in the history of the Sith Order, firmly believing himself to be the most powerful ever. Additionally, he was the only Sith Lord in a thousand years to achieve the ultimate goal of the Sith, to eradicate the Jedi Order and bring the galaxy under the rule of the Sith. Lightsaber Training Despite his frail appearance, Darth Sidious was incredibly skilled in lightsaber combat, one of the greatest duelists of all time. A Sith Swordmaster, Sidious was one of the very few who was the equal of Yoda or Mace Windu. Thanks to his tremendous skill, he killed Agen Kolar and Saesee Tiin with a single blow, and defeated both Kit Fisto and Mace Windu. He also managed to fight Yoda to a draw in a lightsaber duel later on. Many years later, Palpatine engaged and defeated Luke Skywalker in a one-on-one lightsaber duel on Byss. He was ambidextrous and could change his fighting style at a whim, keeping his opponents unsure of what his next move would be. A master of every form of lightsaber combat and stances, Sidious drew his opponents in, fighting less than his true capability, and then striking the fatal blow when his opponents thought they had the better of him. When fighting at full strength, the Sith Lord was a terrifying opponent. Palpatine specialized specifically in Form VII, Form V and Form IV, though he used a combination of all forms. Sidious had an extremely aggressive dueling style, which allowed him to defeat three experienced Jedi Masters with very little effort. His brutal fighting style allowed him to overwhelm Luke and Anakin Skywalker during their first duel and Luke only barely defeated him during their third. Force Powers In addition to his lightsaber combat skills, Darth Sidious was considered to be one of the greatest Force users of all time, perceived in the Force by his apprentice, Jard Dooku, as a "black hole of the dark side." Palpatine was a master of Force lightning and was known to use this both as a lethal attack, and as a way of torturing his enemies. In addition, he could use this power to light up the surface of a an entire planet. He was also extremely skilled with telekinesis; during his battle with Yoda, he levitated several Senate pods simultaneously, including the one he was standing on, with incredible dexterity and precision. Likewise, he was skilled enough with telekinesis that he was also able to remove Luke Skywalker's restraints while barely even lifting his finger when meeting face to face on the Death star. Sidious was a master of Force speed, implementing it on occasion. Darth Sidious also possessed the power of Force Flight. Sidious was also the only known being capable of producing a Force storm of his own power, a dark side technique which he himself discovered. Among the Emperor's powers was the ability to channel the collective life essences of billions to sustain himself and his Dark Side Adepts, his victims would live in a dream-like state while his own power grew. The entire population of Byss lived under this spell until the planet's destruction by the Galaxy Gun. It was mentioned by Luke Skywalker that the Emperor's very voice had a hypnotic lull to it whenever he was outwardly projecting his dark side Force powers. Darth Sidious was highly adept at foreseeing the future, often utilizing the power to see his plots to fruition, ensuring that all would proceed as he had envisioned. Furthermore, Sidious was a master of Force stealth, able to hide his dark nature from the Jedi Order for many years before allowing himself to be discovered. Sidious was so powerful in the dark side that he was able to cloud the Jedi's vision, making it exceedingly difficult to predict future events. The Dark Lord also possessed knowledge of Sith magic, allowing him to use arcane rituals to detect poisons and drugs in food and drink. Notes See Also Gallery of Dantius Palpatine Category:Character Category:Males Category:Sith Category:Humans Category:Inhabitants of Naboo Category:Inhabitants of Coruscant Category:Emperors Category:Galactic Chancellors